Missouri Supreme Court building celebrates 101st birthday

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Supreme Court is celebrating the building's 101st birthday.

Chief Justice Laura Stith started the Thursday ceremony by cutting a red ribbon on the building's steps.

The red-brick building faces the Missouri Capitol, which is about a decade younger than the court building. The Supreme Court also houses the court's clerk, a two-story high library and the Missouri attorney general. It cost about $400,000 to build, which was about $215,000 over budget.

The Supreme Court is built on the site of the mansion of Jefferson City's first mayor. Before that, Missouri's highest court met first in the basement of the Capitol, then in a building where the Transportation Department office now stands.